Police focus ‘should be on violent offences’, senior officer warns
POLICE MUST focus on catching burglars and violent offenders rather than recording incidents that are not crimes, a senior officer has said.
National Police Chiefs’ Council chairwoman Sara Thornton yesterday warned that forces are now too stretched to take on all “desirable and deserving” issues, such as logging misogyny reports even when no offence has been committed.
Calling for a “refocus on core policing”, she also said she was “unconvinced” that it was appropriate to commit significant resources investigating allegations against the dead.
Opening a conference hosted by the NPCC and the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, Ms Thornton said core policing was “seriously stretched”.
She said: “We are asked to provide more and more bespoke services that are all desirable – but the simple fact is there are too many desirable and deserving issues. For example, treating misogyny as a hate crime is a concern for some well-organised campaigning organisations.”
In July, chief constables debated whether such allegations should be logged even when no crime is committed. Ms Thornton said: “I want us to solve more burglaries and bear down on violence before we make more records of incidents that are not crimes.”
She cited historical investigations as “another example of issues that matter very much to some but they undoubtedly take resources away from dealing with today’s crime today”.
The former Thames Valley chief constable said: “While I understand those who have been harmed seek answers, I remain unconvinced that it is appropriate to commit significant resources investigating allegations against those who have died.”
Addressing the summit, Home Secretary Sajid Javid said crime had “changed faster than we could ever have imagined”.
He acknowledged forces were “feeling stretched” and pledged to ensure they have the resources they need in 2019/20.